Chapter Seventeen

—Zoë Danae Mnemosyne—

I had my bow and arrows with me as we go back to the palace. Then I walk to the graveyard to visit my parents with roses with me. I was surprised that there's already a bean bag seat on the floor in front of my parent's tomb. I sat there after I had put the flowers on the vase with water.

'Hey, Mother, Father... I went to town today with my friends. Harris finally met his soul mate. Gerald gave me a gift and it was a gorgeous crossbow. I don't know how to act like a Princess... I mean, I wasn't comfortable with them whenever they bow their heads in front of me.'

'Well, you have to accept it.' I familiar voice speaks that I haven't heard for a long time. She was wearing a white long dress and her hair is half braided into a crown with flowers tucked on it.

'Clarisa!' I stood and hugged her. She was my mother's sister. She hugged me tight too.

'We have been waiting for you, Princess...'

We sat on the bean bag couch with smiles on our lips. She asked the usual. How am I? I look beautiful just like my mom. If I got a boyfriend... I said it was great to be back and dodge the question about the boyfriend. And I was thankful that I looked like a mom and has a little bit replica of my dad...I have my dad's blue eyes anyway. I told her that I got no boyfriend because everyone had their destiny for true love.

Well me, I got no one destined on me. There is just this possessive, hopeless wolf that marked me against my will.

'I heard you found your mate?' she grins. My smile fades which makes my eyes narrows. 'You can't reject him... he's your only cure...'

'Who said that? Everyone knew that I was mate-less. I knew that I was mateless.'

'No, sweetie...' she smiles as sweet as the candy. 'The Gods and Goddesses had given each of us our true love and soul mate. You have your soul mate and he will be your true love. You are cursed to feel the rejections of mates. You are cursed not to feel and not to know who your mate is. Yes, you can't feel anything...those tingles and sparks and electricity and the contact between both of you. But love, I know you can feel love.'

'That means...' I think about Nathan. 'Nathan is my mate?'

'Yeah... I can see that the Alpha had marked you. The bond is not that strong... just try to open up to him. Don't push him away. You are hurting yourself and him.'

'But I am not ready to give up myself to him. I just can't. It was too rush and too absurd.'

'It's not absurd honey...' she giggles. I sighed and put my hand on my head. This is tiring. 'You should open up to him for you to know. Once the cursed is broken you will be free. You will never feel the mates' rejection. You will never be in pain anymore. You will feel loved and you will feel him inside you. Here...' she pointed my chest where my heart is.

'Claris... what if he gets tired and looks for another mate? It will kill me, right?'

'How sorrowful you felt dear... Yes, it will kill you. That might be the end of us. So, I had appointed Keynes to help you find your mate. You might not recognize him but he will recognize you.'

So, all this time we are looking for my mate that's why we go place to place and town to town? Why Keynes didn't tell me about this?

I got back into the Palace lifelessly. I feel sad and helpless. I don't know why. But a thing had come into my mind and that was my mate. I wasn't helpless at all. I feel hopeful. I have to do this for my people. I am their only hope to save them from those demons that killed my parents and their loved ones.

I sat on the wide marble staircase. I prop my elbow on my lap and leans my cheeks on my hand. I sighed again and again. This is so depressing. I lay my back on the cold floor and stare at the paintings of the ceiling. The werewolves with the Gods and Goddesses are there who gave us our mates and the only God who created us as the protector of nature. That God is the King of Kings and God of Gods. He created everything here from the small particles to the cells to the specie.

The ceilings here on the ground floor of the palace had paintings. It tells the story of how we had started. It tells the story of how we are created by the Creator and he orders his Gods and Goddesses to give us our true love... our soul mate.

'Too depressing?' Falcon asked as I saw him standing above my head.

'Yeah... tell me about it.'

'People are very pleased that you are here.' That makes me less depressed.

'Thank God for it.' I smiled. 'Hey, tell me about the plans...' he sat on the floor above my head.

'Well, since my son is ready to take my place as the Beta of the werewolves, he suggested me to bring a few greatest senseis to other packs. They will help each pack to train for the preparations for another possible attack. Children had been kidnapped and women had been killed while the men had been turned like them.'

I immediately sat up making my head hurt. I hold it massaging my temple. I sighed.

'When did this happen?'

'When they found you on the New Moon's town.' Shit! This is my entire fault. Keynes kept me from them and now I show myself to them. 'They wanted to be great just to get your heart. It's the pure immortality that Seferis wanted.'

'Keynes had predicted it so after a year of the incident we sent ambassadors to other packs for their training. We also give everyone here including seven-year-old kids a proper training to defend themself. Men's had been helping their children to train well even girls.'

'Keynes? No doubt about him...' I said shaking my head. 'And the plan?'

<><><>

Early in the morning, we walk in the town with our bikes admiring the people ready for their works and the others are going in the training. The children are meeting each other in the park to play. I took a picture of them. They are so adorable.

'Hurry up, Zoë! I am still going to meet her!' Harris said irritated.

He didn't wake up early in the morning where the sun is still sleeping just to walk around town. Of course, he wanted to see her so badly. They talk on the phone for almost the whole night. Can't you believe that? He looks so fresh and hot. He's just wearing a black polo shirt with buttons. The two buttons on the top had left open. The blue pair of jeans he is wearing is semi-fit and he has a nice ass if you only see. Like... Nathan...

Wait! Why am I thinking of him too?

We went to the open flower shop. He picks the orange color lily. I guess it was a day lily if I am not mistaken. It has five petals and red dots I guess. We meet his mate on the boutique that her mother's own and now she is managing it with her twenty-five-year-old sister Mandy. I smiled at her and she smiles back. Her eyes sparkle when she saw Harris like it was the first time that they met.

'H-hi...' Harris stammers.

'Hi.' I nudge him on his ribs by my elbow.

'Hi Lily!' both Gab and Chase greets.

'Hello. So welcome to our shop.' She smiles as sweet as the candy. Oh, I am craving for sweets. She faced Harris. I nudge him again and he extends the lily to her. She smiles wide accepting it and smelling it 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome.'

'We gotta leave.' I said and they eyed me. 'Harris will be here, don't worry.' I pushed Harris to her and I scooped the arms of the boys and we left the boutique waving at them. 'Have fun!'

'Where are we going?' they asked.

'Ice cream!' I told them. A little girl bumped on me and the ice cream that she was holding had stained my blouse. She falls her butt on the ground and when she saw her ice cream on the ground she nibbles her lips and like she's going to cry.

'There's the ice cream.' Gab murmurs. I pull the girl up.

'I'm sorry!' and she did cry.

'No... It's okay, sweetie.' I wiped her tears. 'We're gonna get you another ice cream. Don't cry...'

'You are not going to hurt me?' she asked. Hurt her? Why would I?

'No...' I shook my head. 'These handsome men here beside me. They are good boys. We aren't going to hurt you. Who is hurting you?' I asked her. She just shook her head. There is something wrong with her. Someone is hurting her. 'Okay, if you are not going to tell us let's buy another ice cream.' She smiled wiping her tears and nods. I stood and Chase gave me a handkerchief. I wiped the stain on my white spaghetti blouse. I hold the little girl's hand. She was at the age of five or four I guess.

We went to the ice cream parlor. She was jumping while looking at the ice cream flavor displays on the counter. She pointed out the strawberry ice cream and the chocolate one.

'Strawberry and Chocolate for the little girl.' I asked the server. 'Rocky road and double dutch for me.'

'You will get fat.' Chase told me. 'The blue one for me.' He said.

'I will burn them tomorrow.' I told him.

We take our seats and eat ice cream. The girl was so adorable eating her ice cream with lots of ice cream around her mouth. I can see myself to her when I was just little. I eat a lot of ice cream and candies. Then I woke up not even remembering what happened after I fell asleep. My dad said that I was a sugar drunk. They didn't let me eat a lot of candies and chocolates. When my mom is making a pie that it was so sweet I got drunk. The pie consumes a lot of sugars that make me drunk.

'She's adorable... look at her.' I told them.

'Hey that Blondie over there keeps on glancing at you.' Gab murmurs at me. I search the Blondie and found the cute guy glanced at me. He was interested in me? But I am not interested...

After we ate ice cream we walk back to the town and there's a woman who came worried and hugged the little girl named Christine.

'Mommy!' she hugged backs her mother. 'She gave me an ice cream.' She told her. The woman looks up at me with smiles.

'Thank you very much. I was worried that I lost her.'

I said that it was just nothing, then we go to the Park, where kids are playing around. I sat on one of the swings. It was fun watching them having fun while playing hide and seek, running around and fooling at each other. It was like us when we are still kids. I will ask one of the detectives to investigate the family background of the girl. She seems afraid. There might be a trauma come to her.

'We used to play hide-and-seek.' Chase told me as he sat on the swing beside mine.

'I miss those times.'

'Me too.'

'Hey, guys! I got a call from Sam. There's another rogue attack on the New Moon town near the boundary!'